Native Translators

At Terralíngua, all translators are native speakers of the language into which they translate. We know that translating a text from a foreign language into the mother tongue is very different from the process of translating a text from the mother tongue into a foreign language. In the process of translating a text into a native language, the translator is sufficiently resourceful to consider different ways of writing the same sentence. The most appropriate option can then be selected while taking the cultural context into consideration.

It is easy to recognize a translated publication that has not been produced by a native speaker of the target language and when such a work has been literally translated from the source language. For Terralíngua, understanding the meaning of a text is not in itself a sufficient measure of quality. The publication must also sound as though it were originally written in the target language. Moreover, words rarely have a single equivalent in two different languages: many words can be translated in a number of ways, but few are interchangeable. Through mastery of the source language and immersion in the target language, Terralíngua translators are able to choose the most precise and appropriate words according to the cultural and linguistic context of the publication.

A native translator has the flexibility and idiomatic knowledge of someone living in the culture of the target country. In a difficult situation, such a professional knows what not to say or how to find a work around, without the risk of making a mistake or gaffe. In the well-defined levels of hierarchy used in Japanese, for example, there is no one better than a native Japanese translator to "stroll" through the various hierarchy specific pronouns, while avoiding any disrespect.

The quality of a text translated from a foreign language into the mother tongue is therefore better than the quality of a text translated into a foreign language since it is easier for the native translator to respect characteristic structures and take into consideration the appropriateness of the work within the cultural context. By insisting on professionals who are native speakers of the target language, Terralíngua ensures delivery of a fluid and natural final text that is free of oddities to the reader.